Marcus Mariota: Should the Eagles “Do The Deal”?
Dec 14, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly before the start of the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Last season, the Eagles defense looked better during the first half of the season but crumbled towards the end, mainly due to the lack of talent at the cornerback and safety positions.
During the 2014 season, the Eagles defense ranked 31st against the pass, giving up nearly 270 passing yards a game. To put that stat into context, the Seattle Seahawks, the best team against the pass during the 2014 season, only gave up 185 pass yards per game.
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The Eagles will most likely be saying goodbye to Bradley Fletcher, and there’s a chance that Cary Williams will be gone after some pitiful play in the defensive backfield. Nate Allen’s contract is also set to expire, leaving the Eagles potentially having to fill three starting positions in their secondary with no apparent replacement for any of those positions currently on the roster.
With that said, we can’t sleep on the guys on the market this offseason.
Byron Maxwell, Kareem Jackson and Rahim Moore headline the class of potential replacements.
Earlier this week, it was reported by Tony Pauline that the Eagles are the front-runners to acquire the services of Byron Maxwell.
Present word has the Philadelphia Eagles as front runners for cornerback Byron Maxwell.
— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) February 20, 2015
He also went on to report that $10 million annually would be the number for the young CB. If the Eagles are rumored to willing to give Maxwell that kind of money, it may be a sign that the they’re willing to splash the cash this offseason in order to acquire top talent to help their secondary improve.
If the Eagles are able to acquire top talent via free agency, such as Byron Maxwell, Jason Worilds or Kareem Jackson, it could position them well to make a move for Mariota if they feel he can take the Eagles to the next level.
Overall, the Eagles will need to give up a lot of valuable pieces to acquire Mariota in the upcoming draft, and ultimately may have too many other holes on their roster.
However, if Philly can acquire top defensive talent via free agency or trade before the draft, a deal for “SuperMariota” could be a lot closer than many believe.